Frigga's Favorite
by Moonspun Dragon
Summary: Frigga visits a prisoner. Post- Avengers


A/N: Hello, everybody. I was reading a fanfic and this little plot bunny sprang up. I'm sorry I don't remember what the fic was. :) Enjoy. :D

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine. :)

Frigga's Favorite

Frigga looked up from the book she was reading as the sound of laughter filled the air. She closed her book and stood just as a black blur, followed by a blonde blur, flew past her garden bench. She couldn't help the small smile as she realized the blurs were her sons. She shook her head in exasperation. There was going to be a fight before long.

_Ever since Loki had discovered magic and learned to control it, he was in the habit of practicing whatever spell he had learned on his brother, much to Thor's chagrin._

_Frigga started to walk in the direction the two boys had gone. She had taken a few steps in that direction when she heard the sound of water splashing, followed by Thor's unmistakable bellow. A few seconds later, she heard a squawk that was cut short by a choking sound. _

_When Frigga came into view of the lake, she stopped and gasped. Thor was shaking his brother by his shirt collar and was snarling in his face. _

"_Thor!" she screamed. Both boys looked at her, startled, and Thor let go of Loki abruptly. Loki stumbled a bit, but managed to stay on his feet._

"_What happened?" Frigga demanded, coming to stand in front of the boys. _

"_Loki exchanged my sword with a child's toy," Thor explained, his voice full of anger toward his brother, "This has caused my defeat at Sif's hand." He finished by shooting a glare at Loki._

_Frigga shifted her stern gaze from Thor to Loki, who lowered his head somewhat sheepishly. She caught something else in her son's stance: Trepidation. She had a feeling that what was going through her youngest son's head were not thoughts of guilt, but how severely he would be punished. This made her wince mentally. _

_Odin would give Loki a harsh punishment for this situation, Frigga knew. She was afraid her husband favored their firstborn son, and that their youngest was starting to sense it, hence the pranks on Thor. She did want to speak to Odin about this, but she had come to the realization she could not without being hypocritical. She, too, favored one of their sons over the other. Except her favorite played pranks._

"_Loki," she said, "Apologize to Thor."_

_Loki jerked his head up and met his mother's gaze. He was about to protest, but he saw something flash in her eyes. He knew it was a type of bargain. And he took it._

_He turned to Thor, who was still dripping wet from falling through one of Loki's illusions and into the lake. He hated apologizing to Thor because it felt too much like submitting himself to his brother's eventual, inevitable, rule. However, he would do it if it meant escape the harsher punishment his father would surely have in store for him._

_Loki bowed slightly at the waist and said, "I apologize for taking your sword and causing you to fall in the lake, brother. I ask your forgiveness." _

_He snuck a glance at his mother, who was still staring at his, but with a softer expression. Frigga caught his glance and arched her eyebrow. He straightened and waved his hands in a circular motion. He, then, held his hands out as if offering something. A sword appeared in his empty hands._

_Thor broke out into a blinding grin as he accepted both the sword and his brother's apology. He stepped past Loki and slapped his hand on his shoulder as he passed. Loki's face broke into a small smile of his own as he chased after his brother, leaving Frigga to call after Thor to change into dry clothes…_

The memory of that happier time faded, causing Frigga to stare at a blank stone wall. It was now many years later. Both of her sons had grown up into the men they had been destined to be. She had known how Thor would become. In some areas her oldest was as innocent as innocent as when he was a young child and still had a pure heart.

The change in Loki, however, she suspected would happen, but it still broke her heart. He had become darker, dangerous in his thirst for his father's and brother's attention and approval. She had known that Odin thought him weaker when Loki showed more interest in his books, magic, and when he had developed more skill with fighting using both his magic and daggers instead of with swords. She had tried to compensate with her love and acceptance, but Loki craved only his father's.

Frigga was brought back from her reverie as the footsteps of a guard echoed on the stone steps. She turned to face, just as he reached her side.

"My queen, all is ready," he said.

Her only answer was a slight nod.

She followed the guard down the steps, through a door, and, finally, down a darkened hallway. They walked past cells which were all empty, except the last one.

"Leave us," she murmured to the guard. He bowed and left without a word. Frigga, then, turned, once the guard was out of sight, and faced the only occupant of the cell and felt her heart break into irreparable shards once more.

She had been there when Thor had come back with the Tesseract. Her joy at seeing Thor safe and relatively unharmed was destroyed when she saw who the prisoner was. Loki. The image of him wearing the grey muzzle and being bound seared itself into her mind.

As she faced him, now, in the cell, Frigga was relieved to see him able to move freely inside the cell. "Loki," she breathed.

Loki had been sitting on the cot in the cell, staring up at the ceiling. When the guard came inside and removed the muzzle and left, he knew who was waiting to see him. He was not disappointed, though he wished that is was someone, anyone, else. He had turned his gaze to the ceiling when he heard Frigga's and the guard's footsteps come closer.

He tried to summon the callousness he had had on Midgard. He soon realized that the effort was futile. He cursed himself, silently, when he realized this mask was just not there. Instead of the callous mask, Loki made his expression blank. Outside his cell, he heard Frigga send the guard away. He was out of time to gather his tattered emotions and thoughts.

"Loki."

_I'm sorry, _he thought, _I never meant to hurt you._

"Will you not look at me?" she asked, her voice quiet.

_No. I will lose _ _whatever small control I have gained. _

He heard her sigh. "Why? Why have you made us believe you dead?"

Loki remained still. _It was easier._

_Easier for whom? _A voice inside his head asked.

He heard Frigga shift. "At least answer me this, Loki. Was your attack on Midgard worth this? Was it worth your freedom?"

After a lengthy silence, Frigga sighed again. She had suspected he would not answer, he was too stubborn, still she had hoped. She started to walk away…

"No." His voice was quiet, but rang out in the silence as if he had screamed it.

She stopped and looked over her shoulder, directly into her son's jade green eyes. She slowly came back to him. "Then why?"

"Revenge. Against Thor. To prove myself worthy of Asgard. Of being your son."

Tears formed in Frigga's eyes. "You have always been our son."

Loki turned his head away and smirked, bitterly. "Not to Odin. Never to Odin. I was only Thor's shadow, or a monster to keep until I might have some use to him. However, nothing I did was ever enough to please the great Odin Allfather. I was never worthy to even earn his attention. Except when I caused mischief."

Frigga came as close to the bars as possible. "That is not true, Loki. We both saw and loved you. We praised you as much as Thor-"

Loki snapped his head back to Frigga, his eyes blazing a deep green. "Now who is the one telling the lies? The only praise I ever remember receiving was Odin's reluctance when it was impossible for him not to give it. Thor, he praises loudly and wholeheartedly, even when the fool does something a mere child could accomplish with ease. Thor has always been Odin's favorite. Yours as well."

Frigga flinched at his words and his sudden movement. As he had been talking, he came close to the bars in a violent motion. She swallowed, trying to remind herself that Loki's favorite weapon was with words when he felt threatened like a wounded animal. This reminder held no balm for the wound his words caused, however.

"I hope you will realize one day, Loki, that you were always loved and my favorite, "she said, her voice filled with great sadness.

With that, Frigga turned and walked away, leaving Loki staring after her with tears in his eyes.

End

A/N: Honestly, I'm not completely satisfied with it, but *shrugs* whatever. :p As a bit of a warning, I'm going to change the title. If you have an idea about a better one, please PM me. :D I hope you enjoyed. :D


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